A New Social Platform — The Unexpected Rise of Spotify

Spotify—it’s a huge music streaming giant. The company’s Quarter One (Q1) of 2019 report stated that there are currently 217 million monthly active users. From that number, 100 million are Spotify Premium users, meaning they pay the monthly fee for commercial-free listening. This is the new social platform that is hiding under the radar—for now, at least. Because you can integrate your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram story to Spotify, it should be considered a major player as far as social profiles go. Listeners of Spotify are using music to connect. It’s a powerful tool that connects friends, users, and businesses to each other. And, music has shown to be a compelling source of connectedness before and outside the online social sphere.

The Rise of Spotify

In 2017, Fast Company came out with an article arguing why Spotify should be the next social media platform. At the time, Spotify had roughly 140 million monthly listeners. This article mostly argued that a messaging and “24-hour story” feature could be beneficial to the music platform. Though that has not happened as of yet, Spotify had some other ideas in store. The app now allows you to share what you’re listening to on your Instagram story—a cool little compromise to the initial idea. Already, the app allowed you to follow friends’ playlists and listening habits.

Now, you can share that on multiple platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. This changes the dialogue of, “Hey, you need to check out this song.” Your friends (real or online) can see what you’re listening to and be influenced by what you are sharing and consuming. With so few words, you can connect to people through music (and you don’t even have to be at a concert to do so).

A New Social Platform

Like any other social platform, businesses have learned how to morph and be successful on Spotify. If you’re a brand that wants new exposure, or to connect with people that follow you, being on Spotify is a must. As mentioned earlier, there are 217 million users on Spotify (and counting). Less than half have bought the premium version. This gives brands a great opportunity to advertise on this platform. And, the platform is only growing. There are other ways on Spotify for brands to connect with a wider audience.

For one, playlists are a huge playing field to take advantage of. Contently wrote an article listing the top successful brands on Spotify that are using playlists to create content and reach a wider demographic. Among those brands listed are Reebok, Jose Cuervo, and UFC.

Reebok has branded its own Spotify app, Reebok FitList, which includes different playlists for your various activities. Jose Cuervo used its brand to launch a campaign for college students where playlists and tracks were voted for. The winning school got an exclusive party with DJ sets. This is how the streaming device is shaking up the social world around it.

Aside from the paid ads you hear in between your favorite songs, Spotify is a big player when it comes to podcasts. You’ll notice that more and more podcast shows will appear on your “Discover” tab. That may have to do with Spotify pledging to invest $500 million in podcasting this year. So, if your company has a podcast, it’s time to put that auditory goodness on Spotify. If you don’t, consider starting a podcast so listeners can have more content from you that they’ll love to listen to each week. Also of note, many podcast creators are always looking for sponsorships. Landing yourself on a popular podcast could mean more exposure and brand awareness.

Share the Tunes

Spotify as a new social platform has a little ways to go. It’s just under larger social networks like LinkedIn (that has 300 million users) and Snapchat (with 250 million users). But, as a community that has brought so many listeners together through the power of music, it’s a huge opportunity that companies should start thinking seriously about. Think about how many times you’ve shared music with someone, or how many times you’ve added a Spotify playlist to your list. This is the impact that your brand could be a part of. So, share the tunes and share your story on Spotify.